Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

NPS Photo

Rose-heath (Baby White)

Chaetopappa ericoides

Family: Asteraceae (A Utah Flora – Compositae) – Sunflower Family

Perennial herbs; 1.2” to 6.8” (3 to 17 cm) tall

Leaves: alternate; simple; entire; 0.08” to 0.4” (2 to 10 mm) long, 0.04” to 0.12” (1 to 3 mm) wide

Flowers: 12 to 25 white to pink ray flowers, 0.12” to 0.24” (3 to 6 mm) long, pistillate; yellow 12 to 25 disk flowers, perfect, fertile, 0.18” to 0.24” (4.5 to 6 mm) long; flower head appears to be a single flower, but is composed of several flowers (a composite).

Pollinators: other genera in this family are pollinated by insects

Fruits: achene – 1 seeded with hard shell

Blooms in Arches National Park: April, May, June

Habitat in Arches National Park: desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities

Location seen: park road near Petrified Dunes, park road mile 7.6, Delicate Arch road, park road near Skyline arch

Other: The genus name, “Chaetopappa”, is possibly from the Greek for “chaet” meaning “loose, flowing hair” and “pappos” meaning “pappus” (a modified calyx with downy bristles or hairs). The species name, “ericoides”, means “heath-like” referring to the small size and the leaf pattern of the plant.

This family is the most advanced and complex of the dicots. The family is rich in oils and resins and is found in every part of the world, but is infrequent in the tropical rainforest. Aquatic or semi-aquatic species are also uncommon.